Jack McInerney’s poor finish here was echoed the kind of day that the Timbers had against the Sounders on Sunday at CenturyLink Field. Photo by Nick Danielson.
Portland Timbers Players Ratings vs. Seattle Sounders
By Ed Pham
This game proved to be a rough one for the Timbers at CenturyLink Field. While they had stout defending for the majority of the first half, they gave the Sounders plenty of shots on target, creating some unnerving moments that was saved by goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, allowing them to go into halftime with a 0-0 scoreline. However, in the second half, that all became unraveled as the Sounders continued to put pressure in the attack. Cristian Roldan’s presence on attack proved to be vital, as he contributed to all three goals for the Sounders, winning the penalty on a one-on-one against Vytautas Andriuskevicius, providing the assist for Clint Dempsey, then scoring a header off a corner kick to seal up the game for the home side. The Timbers found a goal for their fans late on, as Fanendo Adi managed to slot one past goalkeeper Stephen Frei in the 93rd minute. The Timbers will look to win the season series next Sunday and try to expand their lead against their northern rivals at Providence Park.
Players introduced after the 70th minute received no rating.
Starting XI
Jake Gleeson – 5
Gleeson kept the Timbers in this game with his crucial saves throughout the first half, keeping the Sounders scoreless in the first half. Helpless to stop the penalty by Clint Dempsey. He probably could have done something to stop the second goal from Dempsey, but reacted too late. Also, part of the blame for Roldan scoring that goal, but the game was out of reach at that point. He continued to make key plays for the men in red.
Alvas Powell – 6
Powell actually had a good game here. In a game where the Timbers backline was kept busy by the Sounders attack, he did a good job of holding his own against the likes of Nicolas Lodeiro, Joevin Jones, and company. Worked with Lucas Melano in getting some important stops to prevent the Sounders from getting a dangerous ball in front of goal. His game-leading nine clearances definitely helped the Timbers, and he even added an assist to Fanendo Adi to boot.
Steven Taylor – 4
It wasn’t exactly a great debut for Portland’s new center-back Steven Taylor. Responsible for allowing the second goal, as he failed to close down on Clint Dempsey. He was getting out-muscled by Jordan Morris in the first half, as well as giving a free header to Nicolas Lodeiro that almost led to a goal for the Sounders. Not a promising start.
Liam Ridgewell – 6
Didn’t make any real errors this game. Played as to be expected out of a defender: Sound, calm, intelligent, disciplined. No fouls for the designated player in a game. Also completed 7 out of 8 long balls.
Vytautas Andriuskevicius – 4
This was a rough game for the left back. Seattle spent a lot of time going down the left wing and Vytas struggled with that, as he conceded four fouls. Gave up the penalty against Roldan on a careless tackle that completely changed the game for Portland.
Diego Chara – 5
The defensive midfielder definitely did his share alongside Jack Jewsbury to put pressure on playmaker Lodeiro and limit his presence on the game as much as they could. However, this left Cristian Roldan with two much space and having one of the best games of his short career, contributing to all three goals as a result.
Jack Jewsbury – 5 (Off in the 81′)
For a guy that typically stays in front of the back four more regularly than Chara, it was quite surprising to see him get caught out of position on the second goal. He had good challenges and defensive plays otherwise, but, much like Chara, the same criticism applies: While they limited Lodeiro’s presence, they both couldn’t find a way to stop Roldan.
Lucas Melano – 5 (Off in 71′)
Surprisingly, this wasn’t a terrible game from him. The biggest blemish was his lack of control, as he was dispossessed twice and had poor control several times with the ball. However, what was ultimately surprising from the DP was his defensive effort. He played both sides of the ball and managed to make four tackles for the Timbers, along with four interceptions. He’s getting better defensively, but that’s not exactly why the Timbers brought him onto the squad. His presence offensively was needed and he didn’t deliver.
Diego Valeri – 6
It wasn’t the best game from “the Maestro.” During the times when he had the ball, he would create opportunities with it, whether it be the square pass to Jack McInerney in front of goal or finding the open shot from the right wing. He was a danger when he had the chance, particularly when he found himself against Sounders’ Joevin Jones. However, there’d be points during the game where he would disappear as well, which left the Timbers struggling on the attack.
Darlington Nagbe – 5
While Nagbe did have the best passing percentage of both teams (97.3%), he was fairly quiet for most of the game and tended to disappear at times. He would provide an outlet here or there and had a decent run every so often. However, they needed him to create a greater impact and force the Sounders to have to respond to his presence on the field.
Jack McInerney – 4 (Off in 78′)
For a guy that’s been pretty clinical with his finishing, this was a pretty bad day for the Timbers striker. He had a prime chance to even up the score, but instead took too long and allowed Frei to make the save. He did have his presence on the game, winning plenty of aerial duels and getting shots on target. However, when they needed him to score and put him in prime position to do so, he didn’t deliver.
Subs
Fanendo Adi – N/A (On in 71′)
While he did score the consolation goal for the Timbers, he also uncharacteristically missed the header that allowed Cristian Roldan to score the Sounders’ third goal.
Jack Barmby – N/A (On in 78′)
Had a shot hit off the crossbar, which eventually contributed to the Timbers’ only goal. However, was at fault for Roldan’s goal, leaving his mark to make the header.
Ned Grabavoy – N/A (On in 81’)
